Special thanks to Stephen T. Hoover. His script Damage Control made it into the top-four finalist round for half-hour pilots in the festival’s screenwriting contest, and he was the impetus for me to attend and cover the festival.

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Sponsor for this Episode

nsavides productions – I make friendly, engaging videos for earnest people.

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This is Up to Date, a short comedy about a blind date gone wrong. It’s the first live-action short I directed, and it was written by Stephen Hoover.

More of my videos are here.

Say hello: podcast@nsavides.com

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Related Things

• Stephen T. Hoover on IMDd
• “One Song Away” by Ivan & Alyosha on Spotify

• Shortcut for the podcast: nicksav.show

Additional music for the show provided by Rob Costlow.

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• Sign up for The nsavides Newsletter.
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• Say hello on Twitter:  @nsavidesPRO

Thank you for visiting!

The post The NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW Will Return! appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Ship of Fools is a cello-driven indie-rock band with a distinct sound that some (this podcast) might describe as space cathedral. The band has played at SXSW, opened for bands like Santigold, and toured across the Southeastern United States. They’re also fun to hang out with, which is worth stating right from the start.

I interviewed the band at Highland Coffee,  a location that has certain significance to their origin story. Some of the things that we discuss in this episode include

• Instruments and pedals that the band uses to create a distinct sound
• The unexpected benefits that come from serving a community
• Getting the most out of studio time with advanced planning
• How artists can use branding to make a better impression
• When to release music videos to amplify an album release
• What makes for a memorable show
• How to book gigs at elite venues

The ep. also includes the song “Roger” from the Ship of Fools EP.

The band poses for a photo after our interview at Highland Coffee.

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Listen to the Episode

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Bands Mentioned

• Grateful Dead
• Mother Falcon
• Santigold
• Ship of Fools
• Slomile Swift
• Yes

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The post Music – Ship of Fools, That Space Cathedral Sound! appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

The fifth Louisiana International Film Festival happened on April 20-23, 2017. It was the first full year after the death of Dan Ireland, the festival’s Artistic Director. It also came after the  floods in 2016 that devastated much of southeast Louisiana.

Both were directly acknowledged in the festival’s programming selections, which gave LIFF 2017 a certain gravitas. Even so, there was plenty of room for celebration as the festival broke new attendance records for some of its films.

My advice would be to anyone, whatever you’re doing, always engage the person on their passions.” – Chesley Heymsfield

Renée Zellweger was the festival’s special guest. She came to be a part of the special screening of The Whole Wide World, a film directed by Dan in 1996 that starred Renée and Vincent D’Onofrio. That film led to her role in Jerry Maguire, which turned her into an international superstar and solidified her friendship with Dan. After the film screened, Renée presented the first annual Dan Ireland Award to the filmmakers behind Kills on Wheels.

In this episode, I share the interviews I did at LIFF 2017 and my experiences at the festival.

Guests in this Episode

• Barry Martyn, jazz drummer; Sally Young – host of Traditional Jazz on WWOZ in New Orleans – starts at 2:06 min. They discuss their involvement with the music doc One Note at a Time, a look at the post-Katrina music scene in New Orleans and how the Musicians’ Clinic helps to cover the medical needs of NOLA musicians.
• Andrew Vogel, Operations Director of LIFF and a California-based actor and producer – starts at 14:01 min.
• Alexander Jeffery, a filmmaker who worked on three of the films that screened at the festival: Memoir, The Verses, and Last Light – starts at 25:11 min.
• Jason Allen, Production Director of LIFF and a 1st AD who is a member of the Directors Guild of America and has lived and worked in Los Angeles for 20 years – starts at 32:36 min.
• Chesley Heymsfield, Executive Director of LIFF and film producer – starts at 49:00 min.
• My comments start at 1:13:13 hr.

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Films & Shows Mentioned

• Backtrack Vodka
• The Book of Clarence
• Cézanne and I
• Ella Brennan: Commanding the Table
• The Hero
  
• Jena Six
• Kills on Wheels
• Last Light
• Man Down
• Memoir
• Memorial Drive
• One Note at a Time
• Patti Cake$
• The Red Pill
• The Ryan Francis Story
• Unrest
• The Verses
• The Whole Wide World

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The post Louisiana International Film Festival 2017 Recap appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.

Steve Kaplan teaches comedy workshops around the world. Companies like Dreamworks, Disney, HBO, Paramount, and Touchstone regularly hire him as a consultant and script doctor. His comedy book, The Hidden Tools of Comedy: The Serious Business of Being Funny, includes many of the techniques he teaches.

Steve also created the HBO Workspace and the HBO New Writers Program to develop new comedic voices and is co-founder and Artistic Director of Punch Line Theatre, a theater in New York dedicated to producing comedies (as opposed to angsty black-turtleneck dramas.)

Some of the writers he helped to develop at the Punch Line Theatre include

• David Crane, co-creator of Friends
• Michael Patrick King, writer/executive-producer of Sex in the City, creator of 2 Broke Girls
• Kenneth Lonergan, writer-director of You Can Count on Me & Manchester by the Sea
• Peter Tolan, writer of Analyze  This, creator of The Jim Gaffigan Show

Comedic actors that Steve has worked with include Jack Black, Nathan Lane, Bob Odenkirk, Oliver Platt, Mercedes Ruehl, and Nia Vardalos.

Comedy is the art of hope.” – Steve Kaplan

Steve came on The nsavides Podcast to discuss his comedic theories and how we can use them in our work, whether we are writers, performers, or just ordinary men and women looking to connect with others in more engaging ways.

Some of the things we discuss include

• How comedy tells the truth about who we really are
• Why creative hubs like the Punch Line Theatre produce so many distinguished alumni
• How the comedy works on shows like Annie Hall, Big, The Big Bang Theory, Groundhog Day, Inside Out, The Odd Couple, Seinfeld, and Silicon Valley. 
• How to make a dramatic scene more comedic and vice versa
• What is it about comedy that make it inherently hopeful
• Why the best comedies involve teamwork

Plus, Steve is offering a substantial discount to those who plan to attend his upcoming Comedy Intensive on January 28-29 in Los Angeles. (You’ll have to listen to the show to find out how to get it!)

Listen to the Episode

The post Comedic Insights from Hollywood Comedy Consultant, Steve Kaplan appeared first on NICKSAV Film & Music SHOW.